 Warning
So much of the wisdom literature in the Scripture, particularly in Proverbs, is concerned with warning the people of God to steer clear of foolish and sinful snares. Essentially, wisdom is knowing how to rightly apply knowledge and information to make the best decision possible. The warnings in Scripture are not meant to make believers timid people who will not ever take a risk, but rather courageous people who do the righteous thing regardless of the risk. The warnings in Scripture are to protect the person from the seductive lie that sin presents. Sin almost always presents itself as something we should desire. But that desire can turn into the foolish person’s undoing. The progression can even lead to the grave (James 1:14-15). Jesus also warned those who were spiritually blind and arrogant of the danger not only for this life but the next. The Lord particularly pointed out the danger of leading others into the same kind of error (Matthew 23). Warnings in Scripture are serious pleas for those who are in great danger of both temporal and eternal destruction. Wisdom A part of the problem is that it takes a level of humility and wisdom, not only to be able to give wise counsel, but also to accept it. It is truly a sad reality that many people do not have the advantage, and dare I say privilege, of people that will wisely, honestly, and lovingly give them good counsel. In many cases, it is because of a lack of truly wise people. In some cases, there are wise people who unfortunately do not have the courage or the love to confront the person with the advice they need. However, even more common is the person who does have access to this sage advice, but does not have the wisdom and humility to receive it. Oh, please do not misunderstand me, I am not saying that these individuals are not experienced or intelligent. It may actually be the case that their worldly experience and high intelligence is the barrier keeping them from taking such good instruction. The reason for this is because this advice usually comes from someone that these people would consider rather simple, unsophisticated, and not really aware of current trends. My point is that this kind of wise advice usually comes from grandma or grandpa and many fools can’t see the timelessness of the truths they are telling. The irony is that these foolish people are blinded by their sight. They can see so well the enticing glimmer of the trap. And they can hear so well the alluring serenade of the siren that they just can’t believe that there is a deadly catch in the deal. They have already grabbed hold of the promises before they even considered reading the fine print. Watchfulness Caution does not mean always taking the safe path or the better straighter road. But it does mean counting the cost and assessing the risk and rewards of the decisions we make in our lives. This does not only mean considering the wrong things, but also the good opportunities that come our way. The Lord Jesus taught that even in response to His preaching, people should count the cost of whether or not they should be His disciples. Just think about that! Often we say everyone should worship Christ because He is worthy of everyone’s worship, and this is true. We say everyone should trust in Christ because no one should want to go to a place of torment and suffering called hell, and that is true. We say everyone should look to Christ and receive the love, joy, and peace that we can have in Christ, and that is true. But Jesus said that everyone should consider the cost of following Him (Luke 14:25-33)! Much of modern day evangelism is built on a kind of salesmanship that focuses simply on getting the person to make a hasty and emotional decision. But Jesus doesn’t receive disciples that way! Jesus makes disciples who have come to the end of themselves and are His from the inside out. This only happens when we turn from our sin and surrender ourselves to Christ fully and completely. What has it cost you to follow Christ?
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